Posts filed under ‘Hazelwood’

Our member Andrea Bunting had a letter published in the Age last week (December 15) which brought some perspective to all the debate about how much the closure of Hazelwood would mean to the regular person.

The figure of $78 per year, on average, added to household electricity bills, has been bandied about.

Ms Bunting points out this is about the saving you get when she upgraded a bulb in a security light from incandescent to a more energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulb, or switching of appliances around the house at the power point when not used.(more…)

The official announcement of Hazelwood’s future has been made by French company Engie on the eve of the Paris Agreement coming into force and the start of the UN climate conference COP22: Hazelwood will close by end of March 2017.

Hazelwood is Australia’s, indeed the industrial world’s, most polluting power station.

We should celebrate this as a definite climate win. Climate Action Moreland, along with many other community groups, have been campaigning for closure of Hazelwood with a just transition for the workers and community since 2009.

Now we need a co-ordinated state and national plan to manage the energy transition to ensure just outcomes for workers and communities. There are more jobs in total in renewables, but they are unlikely to be in the same places as existing coal dependant communities. So we need to assist communities in this transition.(more…)

A few Climate Action Moreland members participated on Tuesday morning in a breakfast protest outside Engie’s local offices in Melbourne, calling for an early decision by Engie’s board to shut down the Hazelwood Power Station, one of the most polluting power stations in the industrial world.

Hazelwood is the worst polluting power station in the industrialised world. Other power stations in the La Trobe Valley are also heavy polluters. Current emissions intensity for Brown coal (lignite) in Victoria, Australia:

Postcard from Hazelwood to France’s Minister for Ecology Segolene Royal

The Andrews Government needs to be working on transition planning for the LaTrobe Valley communities with the latest news from France that French company Engie is considering closure or sale of Hazelwood. The company’s major shareholder is the French state and French Ecology Minister Segolene Royal said on France TV that Engie needs to “disengage” with coal.

The Minister for Resources, Wade Noonan, commented: “The Government has been in contact with the mine’s owner Engie about this matter and I’m advised that no decision has been made,” Mr Noonan said. “Those discussions will continue. As the state’s new Resources Minister I look forward to meeting with the Latrobe Valley’s coal generators as well as local residents to discuss these issues.” as reported by the ABC.

If the Minister’s comments reflect the broader government attitude, it is a poor reflection on the ill-preparedness in the Victorian government for a just energy transition, especially after their April announcements following the mine fire inquiry recommendations.(more…)

The Andrews Government will increase coal royalties in the 2015/16 budget to approximately match the rate levied in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia. This should be welcomed.

The rate will increase three fold from January 1st 2017 and is estimated to raise $252 million over the forward estimates over the next 4 years.

This will prove useful for helping to fund the health support for the LaTrobe Valley, as well as health and education expenditure for the state. $51.2 million was promised in the state budget to implement the recommendations of the Mine Fire Inquiry and improving health outcomes for the Valley.(more…)

On Friday the Andrews government announced in Morwell it’s response to the final landmark inquiry into the 2014 Hazelwood Mine Fire. This includes an initial $50 million in the Victorian state budget to implement the recommendations, and a major increase in the rehabilitation bonds for the three La Trobe Valley coal mines.

“The people of the Latrobe Valley have been completely vindicated. I’m so proud of their efforts. They never gave up and neither will we.” said Premier Dan Andrews.

The recommendations focus on 3 major areas: improving the health outcomes of the La Trobe Valley community, increased monitoring of air pollution, and improve progressive rehabilitation and end of life mine planning.

It highlights the importance of helping the La Trobe Valley transition away from coal, and in putting in place a just transition for the community. The increased focus on health and mine rehabilitation is a necessary first step for this transition.(more…)

A motion at the council meeting was debated and passed to send a letter to Premier Dan Andrews in support of the campaign.

The motion, passed 7 votes to 2, stated:

“That Council seeks to resolve to provide support for the Climate Action Moreland’s Build Renewable Energy – Replace Hazelwood Campaign by writing to the State Government to replace the Hazelwood power station with renewable energy.”